Well fluid and method of making

ABSTRACT

A by-product of corn is utilized in the drilling fluid while drilling boreholes to reduce friction and to reduce the normal adverse effects inherent in each drilling fluid.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/057,111, filed May 4, 1993, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,928,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.07/877,473, filed May 1, 1992, now abandonded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A portion of corncobs known as bees wings to those in the granularprocessing industry are used extensively for consumption by animals.Bees wings are added selectively to drilling fluid which may be eitherwater-based or oil-based. The bees wings are ground to a powder-likematerial and added to the drilling fluid in a quantity ranging from onepound to forty pounds per barrel of fluid used in drilling. Adversechemical effects on the borehole are minimized and friction on thedrillpipe also is reduced through the material and method of the presentinvention. The exact particle size and amount of material will bedetermined by the applicable well conditions including the type ofsubterranean formations being drilled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

During drilling of wells, drilling fluid or mud is used to circulate andremove foreign matter from the borehole and to allow easier rotation ofthe drillpipe thereby minimizing power necessary to rotate the drillpipeand allowing faster drilling of tile borehole than requiring use of thedrilling rig for shorter period of time and consequently less expense.Many drilling fluids have an adverse chemical effect on the formationsencountered in drilling thereby providing undesirable chemical reactionsin the borehole.

Corncobs comprise four principle parts that are arranged concentrically.The center portion is very light density pith core, that is surroundedby a woody ring, that in turn is surrounded by a coarse chaff portion,that in turn is covered by a fine chaff portion. The coarse and finechaff portions form the sockets for anchoring the corn kernels to thecorncob. The normal methods of grinding corncobs produce a mixture ofall four parts enumerated above. It is possible, however, to separatethe woody ring material from the remainder of the cob. The portion ofthe corncob remains after removal of the woody ring material is known asbees wings.

It is known in the drilling industry to use ground whole corncobs or thewoody ring material to prevent lost circulation. U.S. Pat. No.4,247,403, issued to the Foley et al clearly describes that process.However, it has been the practice in the drilling industry to discardthe bees wings as being detrimental to the drilling process because theaddition of ground whole corncobs causes a frequently undesirableincrease in the yield point of drilling muds while the addition of onlythe woody portion does not appreciably increase the yield point of thedrilling mud.

Another problem encountered in the drilling industry apart from lostcirculation is the loss of fluid from the drilling mud. The distinctionbetween lost circulation and fluid loss is very important. In thesituation commonly referred to as lost circulation, the entirety of thedrilling mud, or whole mud, seeps into large sand formations andcavities. When this occurs, more of the frequently expensive drillingmud must be introduced to carry drill shavings to the surface. It isdesirable to avoid further loss of whole mud by use of additives thatplug the sands and cavities. Typically the additives used for thepurpose are large particles relative to the size of particles used asfluid loss additives.

In the situation commonly referred to as fluid loss, only the fluidportion of the drilling mud leaches into the formations, leaving thenon-fluid portions in the bore hole. As this occurs, a filter cake formswhich, if allowed to build, often results in the drill pipe becomingstuck. This problem completely stops the drilling operation and may leadto abandonment of the well prior to completion. Therefore, fluid lossmay be a more critical problem than lost circulation. Because of thediffering problems and the lack of options that will effectively preventfluid loss without an undesirable resultant filter cake, avoiding anincrease to the yield point of the drilling mud is less of a concern forfluid loss additives than for lost circulation additives.

Several methods have been used in the drilling industry to prevent fluidloss including the use of ground walnut shells, pecan shells and peanuthulls to create a filter cake at the strata where fluid in the form offiltrate from drilling mud has been lost. U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,944 issuedto Cowan describes the use of cotton burrs as a drilling mud additive toprevent fluid loss. U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,611 issued to Forrest describesthe use of peanut hulls as a drilling mud additive to prevent fluidloss.

In the present invention bees wings are added to the drilling mud. Beeswings intrude into the pores of the strata to prevent fluid loss withouta resultant filter cake build up. The lack of a resultant filter cakebuild up is a substantial advantage over the methods previouslyutilized. The bees wings may then be acidized when it is desirable toopen the strata for production.

Bees wings are ground to a powder material, placed in containers, andhauled to the well site where such material is added to the drillingfluid in a quantity of about one pound to forty pounds per barrel ofdrilling fluid. The exact chemical reaction of the drilling fluidadditive is not known but increased efficiency in the drilling rate anddecreased adverse chemical reaction is provided.

Among the advantages in using the present invention are:

(1) Reduces well cake permeability

(2) Seals off depleted sands and micro fractures

(3) Prevents seepage loss and stuck pipe

(4) Makes casing and logging run smooth

(5) Bio degradable and non-toxic

(6) Temperature is stable

(7) Reduces bit balling, drag, and torque

(8) Reduces shale and gumbo problems

The present invention is used underground and not on the surface of theearth.

Thus, the present invention provides a compound, method, and system forimproving drilling fluid.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art to which the presentinvention pertains that modifications, changes, and improvements may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by theclaims. For example, without limitation as to other modification,changes, and improvements it may be desirable to premix the bees wingswith about two percent (2%) by weight of the drilling mud base,typically oil or water, prior to addition of the mixture to drillingmud.

What is claimed:
 1. A method of carrying Out oil well drillingoperations wherein a drilling fluid is circulated in a well beingdrilled in the ground comprising the steps of:taking bees wings andgrinding said bees wings to a powder form, adding said ground bees wingsto a drilling fluid, and circulating said drilling fluid, with saidground bees wings added thereto, in said well while drilling operationsare being carried out.
 2. A well fluid comprising a drilling fluid andground bees wings.
 3. The well fluid of claim 2 wherein the ground beeswings are present in an amount of at least about one pound per barrel ofdrilling fluid.
 4. The well fluid of claim 2 wherein the ground beeswings are present in an amount from about one pound to about fortypounds per barrel of drilling fluid.
 5. The well fluid of claim 2further comprising a drilling mud base.
 6. The well fluid of claim 5wherein the drilling mud base is water or oil.
 7. The well fluid ofclaim 5 wherein the drilling mud base is present at about 2 weightpercent, based on the weight of the drilling mud base and the groundbees wings.
 8. A method of making a well circulation fluid comprisingcontacting a drilling fluid and ground bees wings.
 9. The method ofclaim 8 wherein the ground bees wings are present in an amount fromabout one pound to about forty pounds per barrel of drilling fluid. 10.The method of claim 8 wherein the ground bees wings are present in anamount of at least about one pound per barrel of drilling fluid.
 11. Themethod of claim 8 further comprising contacting the drilling fluid andthe ground bees wings with a drilling fluid base.
 12. The method ofclaim 11 wherein the drilling fluid base is oil or water.